THE JOURNEY: Attending church to see my youngest son get baptized and confirmed was an important dot for me to connect in my own growth as a man who lost his wife to death. I had not been back to church since her death mainly as I can only voice now that the church was my wife. She was involved somehow all the time and her spirit was so strong there. I think in one respect I consider it somewhat cowardly on my part for not facing that and being able to go back to church. On the other hand, I consider it my respect for Barb and her faith and friendships by not interfering in that strong memory. Watching my son with his host family reminded me of when our entire family would sit in church and take up an entire pew. It was a good memory of family, hope, looking to the future and renewal. So thanks to my son, I can now somewhat put aside the fear with in and just remember that any church is a place of fellowship.


ANOTHER TIME

ANOTHER TIME
ANOTHER MOMENT
FOREVER LOST
WITHIN THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST

SPECIAL THOUGHTS
BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEPTHS
MINGLE WITH THE PRESENT
TO CREATE A NEW MEMORY

GOING FORWARD
MEMORIES MIX OLD AND NEW
COMBINING THE FORCES
CREATING THE NEEDED RE-AWAKENING

THE JOURNEY: Two trees standing side by side can still grow up and out but they can also become intertwined. This produces what would look like one tree. And in some respects, it is true. They move together in the wind swaying in unison. They break under the same stresses, bend just right and show their intertwined beauty to the world. The earth feeds them both allowing them to grow and reach out for those around them. Illness can affect one or both but because time doesn't stand still one can become to ill to continue. One tree wakes up one spring morning and realizes that it is not touching the other tree anymore. Lost and lonely it wants to disappear too, but it doesn't know where it would go. Frustrated and angry it won't grow its leaves or stretch out in the sun to raise its limbs to the birds like it always has. Ready to give up it raises itself to the sky and asks for help. Just when things look like they are at the worst for the tree, it looks down and sees something poking out of the dirt. It senses excitement when it realizes that in the very same place where his former friend stood, are many seedlings reaching up in the light towards his branches. The seedlings intertwine with his trunk and ask tree questions. Over time they grow stronger and bigger and even though no tree can replace his former friend, he knows that he has a purpose. His purpose is to show love, be loved, give wisdom when needed and always remember his special friend with the grace and humility that a relationship like theirs afforded.



LIGHTS



WHITE LIGHTS COMING TOWARD YOU
RED LIGHTS GOING THAT WAY
WHERE ARE YOU GOING
ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
COME WITH HEAVY PRICES
ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE IT UP
TO FREE YOURSELF

IT IS LIKELY THAT FINDING YOURSELF
AMONG THE DIFFERENT LIGHTS
GOING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
CAN BE CONSIDERED THE MOST
IMPORTANT LESSON OF YOUR LIFE

BE ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE
GO IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOW
AND STOP FIGHTING TO SAVE YOURSELF
KNOW THAT WHEN YOU LET GO
YOU WILL BE CARRIED



Writing a book is interesting especially when you have never done it before. What I found out was that I don't like proof reading. But what I have noticed is that when I re-read the material I sometimes don't even recognize the person that wrote it. I will read it like anyone else reading it for the first time and be surprised by either the simplicity or the awareness. It does open up a discussion at least in my head of wondering at very deep level who the author really is.

THE JOURNEY: My best friend says that playing Frisbee golf is a good parallel to the journey through life. Without getting overly metaphysical the point is well taken. You take this round rubber disc that comes in many weights and you throw it. Now typically what happens is that it moves forward in some capacity. In my case it doesn't hardly ever go straight or in the direction I intended when I let it go. But, yes it did move forward which in life is sometimes a major accomplishment. It is a beautiful thing to be following this disc around and seeing where it is going to end up and what drama is going to be created in getting out of the potential predicament. You can take in the sun and the surrounding scenery and just wander aimlessly back and forth across the landscape. You can commune with all the different people you meet along the way while you are looking for every one's discs that flew out of bounds. You can also hang out with the folks that take it so seriously that failure is not in their vocabulary. Be one with the disc. My thoughts about this are:

1. Moving forward is better than moving backwards
2. Strength and domination aren't necessarily the best approaches
3. Being in your body is helpful but letting go is vital
4. Friends can give great advice. You don't have to do it alone
5. You will walk in dog poop no matter what type of shoes you are wearing or what
direction you go
6. It doesn't take a rubber disc to make happiness. It is what you do with the
disc and how you react to it that's important
7. And when you see the disc fly over your head backwards after you throw it, you
smile, pick it up and move forward again

May the wind always be at your back, your disc fly straight and accurate and you avoid all the dog poop.



SEARCHING FOR PEACE


SEARCHING FOR PEACE
IN EVERY DIRECTION
CAN CAUSE CONFUSION
BECAUSE OF ITS SCATTERED NATURE

FINDING PEACE
WITHIN YOURSELF
BRINGS THE ENERGY CENTER
TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE

HAVING PEACE
IS THE LINK OFTEN LOST
TO THE SEARCHING AND FINDING
OF THE MIRACLE WITHIN YOU

THE JOURNEY: Finding your own way through all the land mines placed in front of you when you are the survivor of death can be quite challenging. Move to the left, the right, turn around and run the other way are just some of the decisions you will have to make to get through the mine field. But you know what? When you are standing at the other end of the field and looking back over your shoulder and realizing you made it, you are more surprised than anyone. I mean really, you initially thought that there was no way that you would ever survive the first land mine, let alone all the other ones. So good for you. You survived. You made it. But what really struck me as more important than my own survival was looking to my right and left and seeing all of my kids standing next to me. They survived and made it too. My GOD, what a miracle that was. Everyone is on their own self discovered journey created by their own faith, writing their own story, weaving there own love connection in with the rest of us. I am incredibly blessed to be part of this truly inspired family. Our journeys continue. And the book continue as well. I have decided to add some inspirational quotes from famous deceased people I'm enjoying reading them and including them into the format. Considering the subject of the book, I think they would approve.




THANK YOU


FOR CALLING MY NAME
THROUGH TIMES ETERNAL HEARTBEAT

FOR TOUCHING MY SOUL
WITH THE LOVE OF THE AGES

FOR PULLING ME BACK
FROM THE BRINK OF CONFUSION

FOR DIRECTING MY ENERGY
TO A MORE IMPORTANT PURPOSE

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU
AND FOR ALLOWING ME TO FIND ME
WITHIN YOUR LOVE